COVID-19 modeling data released by PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) forecast a deteriorating situation across most U.S. states over the next four weeks, showing little effect thus far of local masking mandates and suggesting the need for a nationwide strategy focused on increased social distancing.
The model, which follows 519 counties representing 71 percent of the U.S. population, shows increased risk for virus resurgence through early August in all but the New England area. Projections continue to worsen in known hotspots, such as Miami and Houston, which are reaching capacity for ICU beds and available health care resources. At the same time, based on the risk for growing case counts to quickly reproduce, the researchers forecast that new epicenters may form in the coming weeks, including in cities that have masking mandates in place such as San Francisco and New Orleans. This suggests that masking policies alone will not suffice in reducing case counts to continue reopening society safely.
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Hospital-wide hand hygiene safe practices and policies have been under review for more than a decade but the acute impact of the coronavirus and COVID-19 admissions has raised awareness on compliance.
Hand hygiene goals are becoming more common, and the pandemic has placed them front and center. Healthcare professionals acknowledge their colleagues are watching them wash their hands and calling them out for a do-over.
Hand hygiene is the most important intervention to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens in health care. Assurance of effective hand hygiene improvement campaigns includes adequate data analytics for reporting compliance, according to a Hand Hygiene study reported in the American Journal of Infection Control in Dec. 2019.
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Installation issues like bubbles, residual indentions and seams are now a thing of the past thanks to
nora® nTx
. This premium rubber flooring can save you time, reduce costs and minimize disruption where flooring is installed.
With its pre-applied, solvent-free adhesive layer, nTx can be cleaned or walked on immediately after installation — providing faster turnaround times for contractors and building owners. And because this innovative new flooring is resistant to slab moisture and concrete alkalinity, subfloor prep and costly mitigation procedures aren’t needed. You’ll never have to compromise on flooring for sake of time and budget again.
To learn more about this revolutionary rubber flooring, read our
nTx white paper.
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by Sara Marberry
Waiting is a top patient complaint. Which is why healthcare providers have recently been paying more attention to waiting area design. But the pandemic has changed how people come together and could lead to the elimination of waiting areas in many medical offices and clinics, as well as change hospital waiting areas for good.
I recently had two different pandemic waiting experiences at medical offices. One had me text from the parking lot and wait in my car until the clinician was ready to see me. As I sat down in the upholstered chair in the second office, I wondered when the last time it was cleaned. Healthcare providers can’t get rid of waiting areas in every hospital, clinic, or medical/dental office. But they can design waiting areas for social distancing, clean and disinfect them often, and provide good hand washing and/or hand sanitation options.
Here are 6 social distancing design strategies for waiting areas:
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Healthcare facility management responsibilities have shifted and identified dramatically due to COVID-19.
Please answer our six-question survey designed to explore the top priorities for FM training.
The results will be reported in the next issue.
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NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn has achieved the international Baby-Friendly designation following years of quality improvements and a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for issuing this certification in the United States.
This honor is awarded to hospitals that adhere to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life.
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The facility management industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Incre
asing demands from building owners and occupants, the introduction of new technologies, an aging workforce and now a pandemic has disrupted the management of b
uildings nationwide. Facility professionals struggle to keep current and ensure that their buildings remain safe, efficient and profitable.
“We recognized a pressing need in the industry for timely content, advice and education,” noted Dan Weltin, editor-in-chief for the Facility Market at Trade Press Media Group. “As a result, we developed a new membership program for the entire facilities profession including facility managers, engineering managers, maintenance managers, property managers, construction managers, everyone that is involved in the built environment.”
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ISSA announces that its ISSA Show North America 2020 is moving from Chicago in late October to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, November 16-19. There never has been a more compelling time for facilities managers to attend the ISSA Show as they meet the challenges of providing a sustainable healthy workplace for their fellow employees. Attendees will have access to many education sessions addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons learned and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. For example:
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Surviving COVID-19 and Putting Your Hospital Back In Order
- Empowering hospitals for success after COVID-19, this presentation discusses some critical issues faced by hospitals dealing with coronavirus illnesses and the lessons learned from experiencing the pandemic.
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Understanding Infection Control: Surveillance, Identification, and Containment
- This course teaches fundamental knowledge regarding infection control, transmission, methodology to control the spread and leveraging best practices for hygiene and cleaning methods in various facilities.
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Armstrong Fluid Technology has unveiled two COMPASS R high efficiency models with ECM motor technology for up to 80 percent energy savings. Featuring an air-cooled ECM motor and advanced design envelope variable speed technology, the COMPASS R20-35 and R40-45 circulators can replace many competing models with bolt-for-bolt connection capability. The COMPASS R models cover a wide performance range and are energy efficient upgrades for two- and three-piece and wet rotor circulators.
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The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has opened an outpatient center at Hudson Yards, the 28-acre, live-work-play neighborhood in Manhattan. The center resides at 31 Hudson Yards in a building that also houses an Equinox Fitness Club and the first-ever Equinox Hotel.
HSS has been ranked No. 1 in orthopedics for the past ten years by
U.S. News & World Report
. HSS Hudson Yards will offer both on-site and virtual care to area residents and commuters to large offices there for corporations including BlackRock, Facebook, KKR and Warner Media. Musculoskeletal conditions account for more than 16 percent of total employer healthcare costs, with up to five times that amount being paid out in indirect costs such as lost time at work.
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Healthcare Design Expo & Conference, to be held at Music City Center, Nashville, November 7-10, is devoted to how the design of responsibly built environments directly impacts the safety, operation, clinical outcomes, and financial success of healthcare facilities now and into the future. Register here.
With education tracks dedicated to Facility, Project & Asset Management, Evidence-Based Design Research, Programming, Planning & Design, and Transformation & Innovation, healthcare facilities management professionals and project managers who attend the Healthcare Design Expo + Conference, Nashville, will benefit from hearing seasoned pros discuss relevant topics. The schedule of educational sessions will be released shortly.
The conference and show management team at Emerald continues to monitor COVID-19 developments as it plans the HCD Expo + Conference in accordance with CDC guidelines for gatherings at trade shows.
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